At the Albertina Platz in the heart of Vienna I came across the Memorial against war and fascism. One part of the monument made me really stop and think. It was a sculpture of a bearded Jewish man scrubbing cobblestones. This was what Viennese Jews were forced to do in a public spectacle after the Anschluss when Nazi Germany took over Austria. This part of the monument was extremely controversial when it was first put on public display. The Austrian sculptor, Alfred Hrdlicka, wanted Viennese going about their daily business to never forget the mistreatment of Jews. The sculpture was a powerful indictment of Nazism and the role many in Austria played in it.
While that may have been the memorial’s intention, it was inadvertently desecrated after being placed on public display in 1988 by kids climbing upon it, tourists sitting atop it and dogs urinating on it. An outcry followed from the city’s Jewish community and many local leaders. The sculpture stayed, with one telling addition, iron barbed wire was placed on the man’s back. Signage also helped interpret the monument for those unaware of its meaning. To my mind, the monument served its purpose by making me realize that among all the urban beauty and architectural wonder of Vienna, ghosts from the city’s Nazi past still lurked. This was truly a case where a monumental work left no stone unturned to ensure that the recent past would not so easily be forgotten.
Deeper Roots – Unearthing A Tragic Past
On this same trip around Vienna, I found myself visiting one of the city’s lesser known museums. While I will not begrudge those that visit the Hofburg Palace or one of several famous art museums, the City Museum of Vienna was more to my liking. It gave a sweeping overview of the city’s history with different artifacts representing certain ages, themes, trends, and people. One artifact literally pieced together the past, recreating one of the darkest moments in a city that has had many of them. This revealed to me the much deeper and tragic roots of Jewish history in Vienna.
My understanding of antisemitism is limited to it as a tragic phenomenon of the modern age which culminated in the Holocaust. When I think of Jewish Vienna two things come to mind. The first is its rich intellectual life during the half century leading up to World War I. In 1867, Austria-Hungary granted its Jewish inhabitants equality under the law. From that point up until 1914, Jews achieved a string of successes in almost every profession. Such names as Wittgenstein and Freud, among many others, have become enshrined in the European intellectual pantheon as thinkers of outstanding genius. The second image is of the Nazi takeover of the city and oppression of its Jewish citizenry, which for many eventually led to concentration camps. I never really gave much thought to Jews in Vienna prior to the 19th century.
Vienna Gesera – Exile & Execution
A set of floor tiles in the city museum irreparably changed my historical frame of reference regarding Jewish Vienna. The floor tiles were from the Vienna Women’s Synagogue (Frauenchuel). which ceased to exist in 1421. The year before that, Jewish life in medieval Vienna took a decided turn for the worse as a campaign of persecution began. It took place after Duke Albert demanded Jews convert to Christianity. Their refusal resulted in everything from exile to execution. In one case, 152 Jews, 120 of whom were women, got burned alive. The persecution became known as the Vienna Gesera. Its impetus was twofold. First, there were rumors that Jews were supporting the heretical Hussites, who were the mortal enemies of the Habsburgs. Secondly, jealousy of the wealth many Jews had attained may have stimulated the persecution. Then, in a medieval version of fake news, word spread that Jews had in their possession communion wafers which they had desecrated.
The upshot was a ferocious backlash. Jews in Vienna resisted the best they could, but when they learned all children under the age of 15 would be taken from them conversion to Christianity, tensions boiled over. The culmination of the persecution was a three day siege at the women’s synagogue which ended with it being destroyed along with the defenders. Chronicles from the time state that the latter committed mass suicide. The rest of the Jews were rounded up and burnt atop a funeral pyre on March 12th, outside the city. After their lives had been extinguished, looting of their possessions continued until nothing was left. Their property was turned over to avaricious citizens. In effect, this was the end of Jews in Vienna for the next couple of hundred years. They would only begin to regain their foothold in the city during the 17th century.
Obstacles & Oppression – Jewish History in Vienna
The eradication of Jews in medieval Vienna was just a footnote in history compared to the overwhelming tragedy of the Holocaust, but it showed just how deep the historical roots of antisemitism went in the city. History would repeat itself five hundred years later with dire results for Viennese Jews. The city embraced and later rejected them. The acceptance Jews have received in the city has always turned out to be ephemeral. While they added an incredible amount to the city’s intellectual and cultural life, the Viennese were ambivalent about their presence. For long stretches of the city’s history, Veinna’s Jews have been treated with either grudging acceptance, willful indifference or sheer venality. A combination of those three had tragic consequences in 1421 and 1938.
The City Museum taught me that the past usually has precedents, but only exists if we are aware of it. The tiles on display were well worth a look because they offered tangible evidence of the Jewish presence in Vienna during the late Middle Ages. Artifacts are only as powerful as the stories they tell. In this case, the tiles told an important and overlooked, if not entirely unknown story. One that shows the obstacles and oppression that Jews have faced throughout their history in Vienna. Recognizing that history not only enriches our understanding of the past, it also serves as a warning for the future. Only time will tell if tolerance can triumph over prejudice. The history of Vienna’s lost Jewish communities does not evoke optimism.
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